3d printing enables a better design so floating pumps deliver more water flow

According to Forest Research Institute, the cost of losing 1 ha of an area from wildfires can cost up to $5000. Indirect (ecological) losses are estimated to reach $25000 or more. Thanks to the ability of 3D printers to handle complex designs at no extra cost, engineers can optimize a design’s performance.

Photo courtesy of Benjamin Kerensa

During wildfire season, firefighters need fast and effective water flow. Rescue and Fire Fighting Units often use floating pumps to deliver the needed water. Individual firefighters can use these pumps to deliver as much as 1000 dm3 of water per minute. But it is necessary to optimize a pump’s operations, primarily by correlating its operating characteristics (like pressure and efficiency) with an engine operation (power, engine speed, and so on).

To make pump optimization more efficient, engineers redesigned the shape of the rotor blades of the pump.

Prior to 3D printing, constructors went through eight successive stages, which included both 2D documentation and the subsequent execution of the casting and its processing. Switching to 3D printing helped reduce the number of processes to two: implementation of the 3D model, and execution of the product (3d print) by omitting machining, polishing, as well as drilling and tapping holes, which significantly accelerates the production process.

The use of 3D printing helped accelerate rotor production by 30%. Limiting the number of activities performed from 8 to 2 stages, assurance of the high precision of the print, and no need of extra post-production processes, makes the Sinterit Lisa 3D printer an excellent choice for the pump producer. Plus, if shape changes were needed, it would be fast and easy to handle in 3D software.